Jennie promised she would. Jennie didn’t make promises lightly.
Baxter and Carolyn said their goodbyes, and Julia and Ashton watched with Sandra from the comfort of the chopper. Soon they were back in the air and heading off toward New York.
Jennie spared one last glance toward the manor, finding the tiny figure of Jiao watching from one of the upper windows. As their eyes met, Jennie received a spike of pain in her head. For the most fleeting of moments, she felt Zhao in her head, and an unknown emotion surged through her that was not her own.
Excitement? Had it been excitement?
Chapter Thirty-Seven
New York City, New York, USA
Zhao’s plans were going swimmingly. There had been some initial teething problems, but that had to be expected. He knew from the first moment of meeting Genevieve—the one the specters called Rogue—that she was going to be his biggest problem. From the first time he had discovered the spectral kingdom, he had delved into research to understand what lay ahead in death.
This operation had been months in the planning. As a newborn specter, he wanted to flex his muscles, test his abilities, and play with what was possible in the spectral realm. Sure, that might mean destruction for the mortals, but if it meant he could show that he meant business to everyone in the spectral realm, then the pain was worth the reward.
Zhao saw his image in the top corner of the large TV screen and grinned. Evidence of his point was in front of him. The little window reflected his vulgar manipulation back at him, the disfigured form of his body as a number of other windows on the screen showed him the dark and stern faces of his partners in crime.
Mere mortals. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.
“I see that most of you have delivered according to plan,” Zhao admonished. His brow was stern and his eyes dark. “I suppose five detonations is good work overall, although I thought we’d agreed that there’d be seven in total.”
Each face was level and difficult to read. Over the years, these crime lords had learned to hold their poker face and show no fear.
“Ruben. Craig. You’ve disappointed me,” Zhao continued.
Ruben McAffey and Craig Cowley stared at their cameras. Behind them, Zhao could make out a bunch of their henchmen, standing obediently in wait. They weren’t there because they were any threat, but it was a power play Zhao knew well. Make it seem as though you’re untouchable, and you’re more likely to intimidate the others.
“There were…complications,” Craig Cowley replied when it became clear that Ruben wasn’t going to be the first to. The glasses he wore masked his emotions even further, but there was a trace of something there. Contempt, perhaps?
Zhao nudged him onward. “What complications? I wanted Baltimore to blow, too.”
“Baltimore is already on high alert,” Craig replied. “Even with spectral assistance, the feds are roaming this damn city. There must have been some kind of activity here not too long ago because the SIA have their claws into everything. A number of my spectral assistants have been contained and brought in for questioning at a local facility masquerading as a laundromat. Those who have returned have informed me that below-ground is an SIA facility monitoring all spectral activity within a fifty-mile radius. This can’t be done.”
Zhao took a deep breath. “Anything is possible when you have the balls to try!”
None of the men and women on the camera flinched. Zhao colored, a wave of embarrassment hitting him after his outburst. It should be so simple. With specters to aid them, surely wasn’t anything possible?
Craig cleared his throat and continued. “It is in no way my fault that you assigned me a city in a state that is already prepared for such measures. You promised us that this would be easy, that we would be able to deliver on these actions without consequence, but you lied.”
Zhao composed himself. He had jumped the gun. Sure, maybe as a newborn specter, he’d believed that the world wasn’t quite prepared for his kind of notoriety, but hadn’t Genevieve already proven that maybe there were some systems in place? Perhaps she had already gotten her grubby little mitts into places like Baltimore, Maryland.
“And you?” Zhao crooned, diverting the subject toward Ruben, who had remained silent thus far. “You had the pride of place. Washington. Where are my fireworks?”
Ruben took a long breath. The others waited patiently as his silence lingered. Eventually, he replied with only two words. “I’m out.”
Zhao stared unblinkingly at his screen. He sighed. “I’ve always been told that I’ve got an accurate gut feeling, that the things I think are going to happen…will. I’m sorry it had to come to this.”
Ruben made a choking sound, and his head snapped at an unnatural angle as a pair of invisible hands grabbed his face and twisted violently.
The other crime lords flinched at that one.
Cassie Ferriss kicked her chair back and stood up in shock. “How…”
“What have you done?” Tommy Vincenzo growled.
Zhao remained in his chair, passively watching as Ruben slipped from the desk. His computer followed, and after crashing on the floor, his digital feed flickered in and out.
Zhao addressed their concerns. “I’ve learned a lot over these past few weeks. Specters come in all shapes and forms. Most specters are gifted only with the barest of skills, but there are some, such as me, who inherit abilities that transcend all understanding. You see, my friend Ruben has been followed ever since he left New York, and I’ve had constant reports from a new friend of mine who delights in destruction.”
The digital feed righted itself as invisible hands placed it back on the desk. In the background, a series of shots fired, and one by one, Ruben’s henchmen fell.
Zhao grinned. “It also helps when you meet specters who have a grudge against your enemy.”
Once the room fell silent, the chair adjusted itself. A moment later, a specter flickered into view.
“How is this possible?” Cassie asked.
Zhao held his grin. “As I said, there are a thousand unique skills a specter can be blessed with. One of which is pure invisibility, surpassing even that of a specter from the eye of a mortal. These individuals can hide even from specters.”
A man in a pinstripe suit appeared before them on the empty chair. His dark hair was combed back neatly, and his Tommy gun was on the desk beside him as he adjusted the screen.
Zhao leaned back in his chair. “Friends, meet Rico.”
Rico waved a few fingers at the digital gathering.
“Rico is just one of my new allies,” Zhao continued. “Rest assured that I have a number of his friends following each of you. You betray me, stray from the plan, or don’t deliver, and I will know.”
The others on the camera growled and looked ready to protest but knew better than to risk death at a junction like this.
“Gentlemen, lady, we are moving into the next phase of our plan. We are the virus, and we will soon spread. Listen closely, because things are going to get real fun from here on out…”
Rico leered at the camera and chuckled.
Richmond, Virginia, USA
They waited for nightfall before hopping into the rental car and cruising over to the quarry.
It felt strange to Tanya to be without Sandra. The eternal child had been a permanent accompaniment, stuck to her hip ever since they had first discovered her in New York. She had been Sandra’s guardian almost from the moment of her spectral birth and brought her up to speed with the modern world.
As they drove in relative silence toward the excavation site, she felt more alone surrounded by mortals than she ever had surrounded by specters. The only positive of the whole experience was Roman had fished out a spare set of SI glasses for her to remain in contact with everyone since Sandra had been her source of access to the specters, and now she was gone.
Lupe and Hendrick had stayed behind, as was expected. The conduits took the back seat, while Jiao took the front, and Feng Mi
an melted and stood in the trunk.
The city faded into silhouettes behind them as the quarry came into view.
The first thing that struck Tanya was that the machines had stopped their incessant whirring. She supposed she hadn’t heard them working at night, so there must be a curfew imposed upon them despite their production schedule.
The group sneaked to the edge of the pit, the place where they had seen the possessed gathering around Madame Celestine as that strange force had darted toward her. The bottom of the cut was empty. Or, at least, they assumed it was. With no lamps or lights lit down there, it was impossible to tell.
“Switch to IR,” Roman muttered. Ula and Triton copied and tapped the controls on their glasses. Their heads swept back and forth as they examined the sight.
“Zero bogeys,” Roman confirmed.
Tanya’s heart rate had doubled. She placed a hand on Roman’s shoulder, surprised by how warm he was. “That doesn’t mean anything, though, right? Specters don’t give off a heat signature.”
Roman moved her hand firmly away without looking. “No. But humans do.”
Ula turned to look at her. “If they are really possessed humans, they have to have some kind of heat trace. No biological body of a human can survive cold for that long. Organs and functions will just break down.”
Feng Mian remained silent beside them, though Tanya was sure she saw his eyes occasionally flick in Jiao’s direction. She wondered how she could get them to get over their differences and admit they liked each other.
Roman led the way as they skirted the upper level of the quarry and made their way toward the only entrance down—the haul road. Out there, they were exposed. The chilly wind bit their exposed skin. Triton kept watch at the rear as the others pressed on, using the downhill momentum to break into a sprint.
They reached the bottom without incident. From down here, the upper level appeared magnified, as though the drop had doubled in size since they’d descended. They stuck close to the wall and made their way toward the rock face where Madame Celestine had disappeared. The reason she’d been able to do so was clear when the tunnel came into sight. The group hurried toward the tunnel’s entrance, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The tunnel arch was huge, easily three times the height of Roman, who stood over six-foot tall. The machines were lonely skeletons under the dim starlight. The dark inside the mouth of the cave was oppressive, even from the outside.
Roman tapped his ear. “All clear?”
Triton confirmed it was from his vantage point at the top of the haul road.
“Onward we go,” Roman ordered.
They made a direct line for the cave, Roman only pausing once to tap his glasses and ensure that they were alone. When they reached the entrance, they stopped and examined its perfectly smooth edges. There were faint boot imprints from people heading inside, but there was something strange about how they looked.
“Careful,” Ula muttered to Roman, pointing at the floor. “Footsteps leading in.”
“None leading out,” Roman confirmed. “Be prepared, guys. This could get rocky.”
Despite their need for caution, the only way to see inside was by using light. Ula switched on a large torch and the cave illuminated, revealing a ceiling of stalactites that looked like fangs and walls wet with moisture. The cave wound deeper ahead of them as though they were walking into the gullet of an enormous worm.
Tanya shuddered and tried to hide it. Jiao walked beside her, fascinated.
At one point, a loud whoosh came toward them, and Roman and Ula flinched and prepared their weapons. A second later, dozens of bats, disturbed by the torch’s beam, sped out into the night, squeaking as they went.
There was little more action after that, as they walked ever into the darkness. After what felt like miles, the tunnel narrowed to a point. Tanya believed that she must be somewhere beneath the edges of the city. The rock seemed different here. Somehow more like redbrick than mud and sandstone.
Ula moved to the front with Roman, and they advanced more slowly. The cave shrank to nothing more than the size of a garage door. Tanya was certain she could make out voices in the distance, muffled and nothing more than mutters.
“Turn the light off,” Tanya urged in the quietest whisper she could manage.
Ula shook her head. “It’s too late.”
Ula and Roman broke ahead at a run. The torchlight wobbled all around them and dizzied Tanya as she struggled to keep up with them. Luckily the floor was even, and she only had to worry about keeping up as she chased after the two conduits.
They made it through the door, emerging into a long room with a low roof. Shadowy figures came at them, moving so quickly that the torch could barely catch them at all.
Arms grabbed Tanya around the neck. She doubled over and hurled the attacker off her. She grasped for her own torch at her side and shone it, glad that as Jiao did the same, more light filled the room and illuminated their enemy.
There were only a dozen of them, but they moved quickly. Tanya recognized a handful of them instantly as their yoga pants flashed luminous colors in the light. The possessed came at them, revealing worn crop tops and tight stomachs dirty with the mud from the cave.
When it became obvious that their enemy had no firearms, Ula and Roman switched to suppression mode. They swept roundhouse kicks and threw hammer-fisted punches, sending their enemy sprawling. Tanya ducked and scrapped with a few who came her way, doing her best to shake them off, despite the fact they seemed determined to grab her hair and pull her to the ground.
One woman leapt at Tanya. She instinctively caught her, cradling her like a five-year-old until the woman scratched at her face. Tanya gasped and pushed her away, stumbling back in the process. She fell on her ass and the woman continued her assault, oddly silent as she did.
Tanya covered her face to protect it from the blows. Surprise filled her when the woman’s weight suddenly vanished. She scrambled out of the way of Jiao’s fighting and observed with wide eyes as her flowing techniques allowed her to take out her enemies while avoiding their blows. Her movements were practiced and calm, effective in much the same way Tanya had observed Feng Mian’s battling to be.
Who are you? Tanya wondered, trying to think back to a moment when Jiao might have exhibited these skills. With fighting skills like that, how was she ever captured by the Dragon?
Guns trump fists, girl.
After Jiao was finished, she helped Tanya back to her feet while Ula and Roman finished incapacitating the last of their enemy. Unconscious bodies littered the floor.
“What the hell is all of this about?” Tanya asked, touching her face and hissing as the raw skin from the scratches burned.
“Are you okay?” Ula asked. “You look like my kitten’s scratching post.”
Tanya waved a hand, her attention caught as Feng Mian appeared from behind an excavator the size of an SUV, which they had failed to see in all the fighting. He motioned them over.
Behind the excavator was a raw, cutout section of the wall that had not yet been smoothed like the rest. It created a shallow chamber that resembled a topside bus shelter. Lying lengthways along the chamber was a decrepit, stone sarcophagus.
An inscription was instilled across the side. The stone box, which must have once been weighted down with a heavy lid to prevent the dead from rising, was askew. A foul stink poured from within.
Roman examined the darkness inside with his torch, not a single care or emotion on his face. A dusty skeleton met his stare, the rest of the tomb seemingly empty.
“What does it mean?” Ula queried.
Jiao raised her cell and took half a dozen images of the inscription. “Hard to say. It’s an ancient language, and one that could be difficult to decipher.”
Tanya’s gaze moved from the sarcophagus to the unconscious bodies and back again. “Whatever it is, I think we can safely say this box is the source of all of our problems.”
Chapter Thirty-
Eight
New York City, New York, USA
The sun was beginning to set as Ashton flew the chopper back into the heart of the Big Apple.
“You ready?” Jennie asked Sandra, smiling at the spectral girl sitting cuddled into her side.
Sandra gave a nod and straightened in her chair. Jennie could already feel the power of the girl flooding through her.
How did one girl amass so much spectral energy?
“Sweep the city, Ashton,” Jennie instructed. “Go as low as you dare. We must nail it this time.”
Ashton complied, the helicopter lurching as he brought it around and closer to the rooftops of the city’s skyscrapers. They started at the southern point of the city, slaloming back and forth like a giant with a metal detector looking for loose change.
Sandra closed her eyes. Jennie followed suit. It was incredible how much they could sense of the city. With Sandra’s powers magnifying Jennie’s ability to see, spectral activity opened up before her. She could make out the frequencies of hundreds of specters on the streets and in buildings below. Not enough to identify each of them, maybe, but enough to know they were there. Jennie had never seen them from this angle before, had never given a thought to how occupied the mortal space was by specters.
They covered Lower Manhattan and found nothing of note. There was a faint trace of the connection Jennie and Zhao shared, but not enough to convince her he was anywhere below them.
Migrating up to Midtown Manhattan and sweeping over Times Square, they looked down upon the thousands of residents making their way to and from work, enjoying shows, and frequenting the restaurants and bars. It didn’t matter how much danger the city was in, New Yorkers would always find a way to carry on as though the world would never stop turning.
Zhao’s frequency grew infinitesimally stronger. They were on the right track. The helicopter flew over Central Park, Jennie fixing her eyes on the sun-reflected windows of her Plaza apartment with a smile. People walked their dogs below, cars choked the streets, and a cop car blared its sirens somewhere in the distance.
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